Can Squint be Treated with Eyedrops or Exercises?

The treatment of squint depends upon the cause and type of squint.

Eyedrops can’t treat squinting. However, exercises may help in some types of squints. The primary treatment options for squint are eyeglasses, injections, or squint eye surgery.

Squint, also known as strabismus, is a vision disorder in which the eyes do not align properly and point in different directions. In a person with normal eye alignment, both eyes work together to focus on an object, ensuring that the images from both eyes are sent to the brain and fused into a single, three-dimensional image. However, the eyes are misaligned in squint, causing them to point in different directions. It can be caused by several factors, including eye muscle weakness, misalignment of the eye sockets, refractive errors, and underlying medical conditions such as brain tumours.

The treatment approach for squinting depends on the underlying causes and the severity of the condition. The treatment options for squint eye may include:

1. Eyeglasses or Contact Lenses: Wearing corrective eyeglasses or contact lenses can help to improve squinting, especially when the underlying causes are related to focusing issues or refractive errors.
2. Eye Muscle Exercises: Eye exercises can help strengthen the eye muscles, but they are usually used as part of a comprehensive treatment plan and are not a standalone solution. An optometrist or ophthalmologist might recommend specific eye exercises to enhance muscle control and coordination between your eyes and brain, facilitating the proper focusing of your eyes. The eye specialist in Delhi may prescribe pencil pushups, Brock string, and barrel cards for squinting.
3. Eyedrops: Eyedrops that blur the vision of the dominant eye can sometimes be used to treat vision loss or amblyopia associated with squinting. This does not help in correcting squint, but helps in improving vision of the squinted eye, till surgery is planned for correction.

4. Patch Therapy: Patching is another significant treatment for lazy eye or amblyopia caused by squinting, where the stronger eye is patched for some time to stimulate the use of the weaker eye and improve vision. It does not correct squint. Rather, it might increase the squint by disrupting natural eye fusion.
5. Botox Injections: In some cases, Botox injections are also used to correct the alignment of the eyes. Botox temporarily weakens the injected muscle, and this can help the eyes align properly. This is mostly used in squints caused due to muscle paralysis.
6. Squint Eye Surgery: Squint eye surgery is a common approach to treating squint, particularly when nonsurgical interventions like eyeglasses and eye exercises are ineffective in correcting eye alignment. Depending on the severity of the squint and the overall treatment plan, surgery may be performed on one or both eyes, which can impact the squint eye surgery cost.
7. Vision Therapy: Vision therapy is a form of rehabilitation treatment that focuses on improving eye vision, coordination and alignment through exercises and other procedures.

While eyedrops and exercises can be part of a comprehensive treatment plan for squinting, they are usually not the primary methods for correcting the misalignment of the eyes. It’s important to consult an eye care specialist to determine the most appropriate treatment, like squint eye surgery, based on the severity of the condition.

If you or a loved one is dealing with squinting or strabismus, consult Dr. Anisha Gupta, a reputable and experienced ophthalmologist in Delhi, for expert evaluation and personalised treatment recommendations.